A Seasonal Shift

One of the questions I am most frequently asked is which of the seasons is of my favourite and my answer is always ‘the one we are in right now‘. I am happiest in the moment, my glass always half full, enjoying whatever the current season has to offer – even when what is being offered is not what I was expecting. What I particularly love about living in a climate with four distinct seasons is that period of shifting between the seasons, days when the current season reigns supreme but there are the tiniest of hints that change is on its way. Of all the seasonal shifts my favourite is the gradual surrender of a carefree summer to the riches of autumn.

I often compare the gardening year to riding on a big thrill roller coaster. In September we start the slow climb up the long ascent, planting bulbs and seeds for next spring, tidying our plots ready for winter, continuing to climb slowly as autumn turns to winter and reaching the summit as the first daffodils show their sunny faces. Over the top we go hurtling down through spring with narcissi, tulips, blossom, alliums and faster, faster into summer as the peonies flower and are joined by roses, delphiniums, phlox, lavender and all our summer favourites. As we struggle to catch our breath the last plunge  is highlighted by the dahlias and the late flowering summer perennials that mark the beginning of the end of our gardening ride for another year.

This period of reflection as summer gradually moves into autumn feels like the end of the ride, the roller coaster gradually slowing and moving towards its finishing line. Right now I am looking back at all that spring and summer has thrown at me this year, feeling the fresh breezes that hint of cooler days and reading the signs that tell me autumn is moving ever closer even if I would like to hang on to summer for just a little longer. It is time to exit the roller coaster, settle my shaken nerves and head off on a new seasonal journey.

This has been a very tough gardening year for me – the toughest since I moved to this garden. The early snow back in November 2017 caught me unawares with beds still full of dahlias and late summer annuals and bags full of bulbs waiting to be planted. This was followed by the long, cold winter that alternated between snow and heavy rain. My land which is damp in winter at the best of times was flooded or frozen from January until the end of April when the weather changed and the long drought began. As I tried to quickly clear the beds I realised that every single dahlia I had left in the ground (and there were a lot) had rotted to a stinking mush and to top off my problems rats rampaged through my tulips destroying most of the ready to flower bulbs. Many of my overwintered annuals succumbed to the heat within weeks of being planted out,  peonies went from bud to drooping petals in what felt like hours, the roses flowered in a great rush and then hunkered down flowerless to try and survive the drought and the newly purchased dahlias sat sadly in the ground putting on very little growth. Sweetpeas that seemed to take forever to flower then gave up and turned brown in a matter of weeks and I had the worst influx of pollen beetle in June and July that I have ever had making it virtually impossible to cut any flowers for the house – should I go on? It sounds a tragic tale of woe.

In reality the seasons have been a joy this year even if the flowers are not quite as I like them. The snow was such a treat – a real Narnia like highlight in an otherwise wet, grey winter and the long summer will go down in memory as the first proper summer we have had for many many years. Waking to blue skies and balmy temperatures day after day, knowing that outside events would not be spoiled by rain, dining tables could be set up in the garden and it really was too hot to feel guilty about not getting on with the weeding have made the last few months a very special time indeed.

As August reaches it end with much needed rain and cooler temperatures a change is in the air. The dahlias are finally getting into their stride, the roses are full of buds again and annuals that had long since looked like they had given up are showing signs of fresh growth. The season of fruit is upon us – plums literally dripping off trees and baskets full of windfall apples and pears marking the approach of the crumble season with plenty of developing vegetable crops ready to fill the soup pot.

With the cooler temperatures and the end of this years roller coaster ride in sight, my gardening energy is returning and that back to school spirit of late August is making itself felt. These days I no longer have endless labels to sew into school uniforms or school shoes to buy – instead planting lists are being made, bulbs ordered and seeds organised ready for autumn sowings. This autumn I will not be taking a chance with the start of winter – dahlias will be dug up and safely stored and my cutting garden beds cleared and mulched with compost by the end of October ready for planting the tulip bulbs in November. I know when the time comes I will hesitate – year on year I find the act of clearing the beds harder and harder to carry out – just one more week I find myself saying. Last years early winter was a harsh lesson in being prepared and one I intend to heed this autumn!

Whilst I am enjoying these change over days as summer shifts into autumn, I can see that the next annual roller coaster is almost ready to leave and it will be bigger and better and more organised than ever before – or so I tell myself every year!!

Are you seeing signs of autumn in your garden? Do you agree that September is the start of the gardening year or do you prefer to think of spring as the new beginning? Are you holding onto summer or ready to make the leap into a beautiful autumn? I would love to hear your thoughts in the Comments!

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